Our Ilayathalapathy, Vijay after continuous and strenuous shooting schedules for the last six months, has taken a well deserved break. He is holidaying in California with wife Sangeeta and kids Sanjay and Sasha.

Vijay is staying with his cousins in Bay area of San Francisco, and generally just chilling out. He has no particular plans other than just laze around, play with kids and do some small shopping. As per plans he will be in US for the next two weeks, a welcome relief from Chennai’s Katri heat wave conditions.

Vijay will be back in Chennai on June 6, for the pooja and launch of his new untitled film for Ayngaran, to be directed by Prabhu Deva. Nayanthara is the heroine and others in the cast are Vadivel, Nepolean, Prakash Raj and Biju Menon. The film has music by Devi Sri Prasad and camera by Ravi Varman.

Vijay’s next film, to be directed by prabhu Deva, is slated to be yet another remake. But this time, it could be a remake of the Bollywood blockbuster Soldier which had Bobby Deol and priety Zinda in the lead.

The female lead of the probable Tamil version of this movie will be Nayantara. Shooting is slated to take place in New Zealand around June of this year. The news has not yet been confirmed officially.

The last time Prabhu Deva and Vijay teamed up for Pokkiri, it turned out to be a big hit. So the expectations will be high this time.

Every child aspires to be a hero, and the road to success is through a school. Pursuing this thought, Agaram Foundation, an NGO formed by Surya is to promote the role of education in the society. In its endeavor to create awareness on school dropouts, Agaram premiered a short film, `Herovaa Zerovaa` at the Ball room of Taj Connemera on Thursday (May 15) in Chennai.

‘Actors do have social responsibility. We are here not just to provide some entertainment but also to educate the masses’, said actor Surya.

The actor as part of his NGO named Agaram Foundation, has come out with a documentary on special education campaign titled Herovaa Zerovaa, which was launched by State Minister for School Education Thangam Thennarasu in Chennai on Thursday.

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Speaking on the occasion, the Minister called for efforts to make every child literate. He also called for a ban on child labour and to prevent school drop outs.

‘The government can take steps only to certain level, but it is the NGOs, who play a vital role’, he said.

The NGO has made a five minute documentary for the Ministry of School Education. It is set to be broadcast in all television channels and cinema-halls so that people are made more aware of child education, the Minister said.

The five-minute documentary features actors Vijay, Madhavan, Jyotika  and Surya. Directed by Kanda Naal Muthal fame V Priya, it has cinematography by K V Anand and music by Harris Jeyaraj.

The short film is supported by online portal Bharatstudent.com. The film explores the sad plight of child labourers, ignorance of parents, disinterest in studies and lack of education for women.

Surya in his speech said the aim of his NGO is to support education. The foundation has adopted an Adi Dravidar Welfare School in Palur and Chengalpattu, he added.

Actor Sivakumar, director V Priya and secretary of Agaram Foundation Gnanavelu also spoke on the occasion.

Director Dharani’s earlier project Ghilli with Vijay and Trisha was a blockbuster victory that had set some kind of fast paced mood, tempo and expectations about this duo in the minds of their fans. They entered the theatre this evening eagerly to catch this maiden production venture of Udhaynidhi Stalin’s Red Giants Movies - produced Kuruvi. The secrecy shrouding the story of the film had also helped in escalating its anticipations to a barometric high.

Scaling high-rise buildings, bowing down to bullets elegantly, Kuruvi opens with Vijay in his best nonchalant style, sending his fans into raptures. If the same care and hard work that had gone into rendering a weighty build up for Vijay had also been employed in the story department, it would have been a Ghilli-like encore for this team. As it happens, Kuruvi flies short of Ghilli. 

Vijay having to free his father and his colleagues who have been trapped as slaves under villains Ashish Vidyarthi and Suman forms the crux of Kuruvi. The director has attempted to ride on the twin horses of action and comedy, moving the film at a very rapid pace, while simultaneously depicting Vijay at his humorous best. However, his objective seems to be too elusive and the film sags at various levels. 

Ashish Vidyarthi and Suman (Sivaji fame) are compatriots in the quarry business who have given out a contract to Vijay’s dad, Manivannan, in Cudappa, Andhra Pradesh. Diamonds that are otherwise only found in Africa are said to be located in this area, but the government issues a ban to excavate the place owing to the risk of earthquakes. But the baddies force Manivannan to go against the law and make him and his group bonded laborers. Manivannan challenges the villains that his son would avenge him once he learns of this. But Vijay, who is in Chennai, thinks that his dad has gone under cover due to debts and is hopeful of his return one day. Meanwhile, a cheque for 50 lakhs that Manivannan had issued as collateral towards the house, bounces-forcing Vijay to vacate their house. Vijay asks the landlords a week’s time to pay back the money and sets out on a mission to Malaysia to find the person whose signature is on the cheque.

He travels to Malaysia as a kuruvi- one who is used as a runner to carry and bring back goods. There he runs into Suman’s residence. A scuffle with him results in Vijay stealing Suman’s diamond in a Zorro-like costume which leaves Trisha,-Suman’s sister, in a mesmerizing trance. She promptly falls in love. Along with her brother, she lands in Chennai in search of Vijay. Each of them search, but with different objectives. How the lead stars reach their respective goals forms the rest of the story.

Producer Udhaynidhi has spent generously which is perceptible in the lavish sets, colorful junior artists, graphics etc. Dharani’s favorite music composer Vidyasagar’s tunes are already a hit and the melodious ‘then then’ number is a revelation, both visually and acoustically. Trisha is at her glamorous best. Ashish Vidyarthi and Suman

do not have meaty enough roles to prove their mettle. Camera work and editing is slick. Vivek, who accompanies Vijay, provides occasional comic relief.

If you go to see Kuruvi with lowered expectations, you may end up liking it. But those who are looking for big build-up sequences and large Ghilli-like payoffs - stay away.

Kuruvi - Mega Hit Movie

Its almost a decade now, we were able to watch a Tamil movie starred by two leading men in the industry.

Now the stage is almost set and its expected that Viajy and Vikram may come together for the proposed movie by the director Venkat Prabhu.

Venkat has already approached both with the proposal and they have accepted to do a movie together if the story suits both, but both of them have yet to give appointment for Venkat to tell the story to them.

Let us wait and watch what happens?